


My Buddy

by pasteleclectic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: 50s Music, Angst, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Jazz Music, Kissing, Love, Music, Post-Time Skip, Romance, Winter, mention of mental health
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:21:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28243845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pasteleclectic/pseuds/pasteleclectic
Summary: A strange yet sweet man who sits alone on the train has great taste in music, and even better taste in women (hint, hint: you).
Relationships: Aone Takanobu/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 58





	My Buddy

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ THIS
> 
> TW: mention of mental health/ depression/ medication, but I kept it vague so it’s not too triggering and also I want it to be something that a lot of people can relate to since we all go through different struggles. 
> 
> ALSO
> 
> This story follows the 1956 jazz album “Chet Baker Sings” by Chet Baker. If you like jazz and/or 50’s music, you’ll really like this. But I recommend everyone listen to it. It’s just such a soft feel good album that I think fits perfectly into this story and the winter season. The italicized parts are lyrics from various songs on the album. I hope you’ll give it a try :)

_  
Aone_

Despite both seats on either side of him being empty, he still kept his bag underneath his seat. From his peripheral, he could see the judgemental looks of some of the passengers on the train as they peaked at him from the corner of their eyes. They seemed to all be waiting for him to get up so they can take the seats they were currently too scared to sit in. There was a middle aged woman who was shifting back and forth on her uncomfortable heels as she stood a few feet away from him, but one glance at him told her that it was worth the discomfort to not sit next to such a brute of a man. Aone was used to these stares at this point, and instead kept his focus on a tree branch in the distance whose snow covered leaves threatened to spill onto the sidewalk at any second. Before he could see the snow’s descent, the train started moving and the city was passing in a blur. 

His attention was taken from the passing cityscape when he felt a weight besides him. He looked down and could only see the top of your head as you shifted your shoulder bag besides you. Your hair tickled his forearm but he couldn’t bring himself to move it. He wasn’t one for words, but when you looked up at him with wide eyes, all other thoughts vanished.

“Is it alright if I sit here?”, you said, one hand still rustling through your bag.

He nodded simply, subconsciously saving your features to memory. He should’ve looked away once you turned your head back to the other side, but he couldn’t bring himself to. That was, until someone plopped down on the seat next to you. Your back straightened and Aone could feel your hip press up against his as you scooted away from the stranger.

“Found you,” said a man who looked to be in his mid twenties. He had a smirk on his face as he leaned closer to you. “My stop is coming up soon so I’m gonna need your number before I get off or I might have to stay behind with you until you change your mind.”

_You_

“I told you already, I don’t have a phone,” you said while trying to create as much distance between you and this creep. You felt bad for pressing up so close against the man beside you, but considered it collateral damage to get out of the current situation you were in. The stranger has been asking for your number since you’ve been waiting for the train, and in spite of moving down an entire packed section, he still managed to follow you.

“I just saw it in your hand earlier,” he said while snaking an arm around the back of your seat. That only made you straighten your back farther as to not have any physical contact with him.

“I don’t know what to tell you, you must’ve been imagining things,” you said while training your eyes forward.

“Quit acting stupid. It’s the twenty-first century, everyone has a cellphone,” the man said through gritted teeth. Your fists clenched tighter to your bag when you heard a voice behind you.

“Enough,” came a deep baritone. You and the creep turn your heads to the man beside you, shocked by the sudden interruption.

The creep puffed his chest, his anger only increasing more as he stood up between you and the man. Your pulse was racing as you thought, ‘ _Great, am I about to be in the middle of a fist fight?_ ’ Most of the passengers seemed to be in their own little world as they checked their phones and listened to music, but the few eyes that were on you and the men only increased your anxiety more. 

“What, is this your boyfriend or something?” the creep waved a thumb at the man. Both you and his eyes widened when the man stood up. He was easily over a foot taller than the creep, and his browless face formed into a harsh scowl.

“Enough,” he said again, his word more commanding. 

The creep ran a hand across his jaw, holding back a smile as he seemed to be contemplating something. Then without warning, his arm swung back as his fist headed towards the man’s face. You launched back in your seat as your hands held back a shriek from your mouth, and before you knew it, the creep’s fist was stopped by a large hand wrapped around his fist. His face contorted for a second until he let out a pathetic yelp and the man let go of his fist.

“Shit,” he said, clutching his fist to his chest. “I think you broke my fingers!”

You felt eyes all around you, including the people that were boarding off at the stop. Without thinking, you grabbed your purse and the hand of the stranger that helped you as he stared down at the creep in a look of deep regret and guided him off the train and started running with him stumbling behind you. 

_Aone_

Even though he hated the way that man talked to you, guilt raked over his whole body as you guided him through the busy street. People moved out of your way, mostly on account to his size rather than your pace. Aone probably should’ve stopped you a while ago, but he was too focused on the fact that he may have hurt someone by accident. It had been a long while since he’s done anything like this, and even before it wasn’t for someone’s defense. That should’ve made him feel a little better, but he always hated undermining his own strength, especially at other people’s expense. 

You pulled him into a small cut out between a bookstore and a cafe. None of the passerbyers could see you two catching your breath, you hunched over with your hands on your knees with your head facing down. 

“Are you okay?”Aone asked after a moment. You peered up at him, your hands still on your knees and windstruck hair across your face. He wanted to brush it behind your ear.

“Yeah, I am. Despite the heart attack you just gave me back there,” you said. “You could’ve gotten arrested if you just stood there like that! I was handling it, you didn’t need to-”

Your words were cut off by the expression on his face. Aone simply stood in front of you with his head down, and in spite of his pale features, you could see the look of absolute guilt on his face. There were hints of red on the tops of his cheek and around his eyes. He kept his fists to his side, and contrary to his size, he looked so small in that moment. 

Aone didn’t look up until he felt a small hand placed gently on his fist. He slightly unclenched his fist and raised his head to look at you. Your expression was softer, your eyebrows furrowed together as you said, “I can tell you didn’t mean to hurt him. I’m sorry.”

You drew your hand back sooner than he wanted, but he let it fall to your side. He said, “You shouldn’t be the one apologizing.”

“Look, it’s in the past now, okay?” You said while fixing your hair. “I’m gonna head home now. Hopefully the police won’t be waiting for us at the station tomorrow...” You lead off, waiting for him to give you his name.

“Aone.”

“Nice to meet you, Aone. I’m (Y/N),” you held out your hand and he shook it, making sure to be extra delicate. Your hand felt like a feather in his, and he missed the warmth of your palm once it was back to your side. 

You strode off, quickly disappearing amongst the crowd of shoppers, and for the first time, Aone wasn’t expecting to ride the train alone.

\---

Aone couldn’t control the tapping of his foot as he attempted to casually look around the train, hoping to spot you somewhere in the crowd. The speaker announced the last call before the doors would close, and Aone resided to himself that you weren’t here when he heard a rush of footsteps come through the train door. You pushed past a few standing patrons and sat down beside him. He hoped that his blush wasn’t too recognizable as he felt your hip against his leg.

You leaned in towards him but kept your eyes forward as you said, “We might not have been caught yet, but we need to be on the lookout for secret police.”

That made Aone smile down at his lap. For the next several days, you two built up a pattern of meeting at the same spot on the train, you being guaranteed a seat since you were the only person willing to sit next to him. It would mostly be you doing the talking, sometimes sharing a story about something that happened at work or something interesting you witnessed while passing the street. Aone didn’t speak much, but you seemed to have a knack for reading his expressions as his way of response. There was one day where you simply plopped down on the seat next to him as the train started moving and handed him your phone, the Spotify app open.

“Nothing really happened today, but I feel like listening to music. Play me your favorite album.“

Aone tentatively took the phone from your hand and he controlled his expression as he felt you slip a wireless earbud in his ear. When you fixed the other one in yours, he hit shuffle and soft jazz started to play through each other's ears. You kept your eyes closed as a way to focus on the music, and Aone took that as an opportunity to admire your features. He liked how relaxed the music seemed to make you. You worked a stressful job so this was a rare expression coming from you, in spite of him only knowing you for a couple days.

_I think about you all through the day,_

_My buddy, my buddy, no buddy quite so true._

When the song ended you opened your eyes, and he pretended to be picking at his thumb.

“That was nice,” you said, plucking your other earbud out of his ear. “It’s the weekend so...I guess I’ll see you Monday?”

That was right. The fight with the creep happened on monday, and already that felt like ages ago. Aone had lost track of his days, simply going to work while looking forward to his train rides home. And now he wouldn’t see you for two day. The thought of it made him sad, but he gave a pleased nod at your question before you turned to board off the train. 

The weekend felt longer than usual and Aone passed the time cleaning things he usually wouldn’t and completing small projects around the house that he had been pushing off for a while. However, his mind would always linger back to you whenever he had a free moment. He looked forward to your smile on monday, however your expression was a bit more pouty that day when you stepped onto the train drenched from the rain.

_You_

Clenching your hands into your skirt to keep your legs from shaking, you sat next to Aone, keeping a few inches of space from him to not get any water on him. You tried giving him a pleasant smile, but one look at you and he unzipped his jacket and handed it to you.

“Thanks,” you said, putting your arms through the large sleeves. It was at least three sizes too big on you, and your fingertips barely poked out of the sleeves. It smelled like linen with a hint of sweat.

“I’ll walk you home,” he said, holding out the umbrella he had in his hand. 

“No way, I can’t ask you to do that. Your stop is after mine, isn’t it? It’ll take you forever to get home,” you said while curling your fingers into the fabric of the jacket sleeves.

“I wasn’t asking.”

When you looked up at him, his face was its usual blank slate, but there was the smallest hint of a smile on it. You playfully punched his arm and that brightened his face even more. When the train got to your stop, you both stepped out into the rain with the umbrella unfolded as you wove through the dense crowd. It was even more intimidating to navigate than usual considering the space needed to be accommodated for the other peoples umbrellas, and you felt yourself getting lost in the crowd. You reached out and clutched the sleeve of Aone’s work shirt with both hands. He looked down at your hands for a moment.

“Is this okay?” you asked, suddenly feeling shy.

He nodded before turning his head away, and you hoped he wasn’t lying for you sake. It was easier to direct him on where to go when the streets were less crowded, but the rain was heavy enough that you needed to press close to him in order to stay out of the downpour. It was about a fifteen minute walk to your place, and he closed up the umbrella as you two walked up the steps to your second story apartment. You unlocked the front door, and when you turned around, Aone stood at the entryway and gave you a slight bow.

“Wait,” you said. “You should at least stay till the storm calms down.”

He seemed hesitant at first but when you motioned for him to come in, he stepped inside and started removing his shoes as you hung up his wet jacket. You offered to make tea as he stood in the kitchen doorway, looking like he was trying not to get in the way in spite of it just being you and him. 

“You should play more of that album from the other day,” you said while handing him your phone that was connected to the Bluetooth speaker sitting on your kitchen counter. As he got started on the music, you walked over to your window and drew up the blinds. You could hear the singer's soothing voice float across the room as you looked out on the stormy streets, the roads slick with rain and the skies an ombré of grey. The song was light and sweet and almost had a nursery rhyme tune to it, and you didn’t even realize you were swaying to the song till you felt a presence behind you. With a jump, you turned around to see Aone standing behind you, a ghost of a shy smile on his face. 

“Sorry, it’s just… a nice song,” you said, looking down while feeling your cheeks burn from embarrassment. A large hand came into view, and when you looked up, Aone had his arm outstretched toward you. 

“I can’t dance,” you said defensively. 

“Neither can I. But you can stand on my feet,” he said, his hand still in front of him. Gingerly, you took it and stepped forward. You looked at him with an expression that said ‘Are you sure?’, but he still had the same pleasant look on his face. You rested your other hand on his broad shoulder as you stepped over his feet. He placed his other hand on the middle of your back, only applying enough pressure to keep you in place. As you started swaying with his steps to guide you, you realized just how cold you were from the rain and you pressed the side of your face against his chest. 

“You’re warm,” you said softly and you felt him lightly chuckle. The dancing you two were doing was more of a slow swaying, and you ended up being turned 180 degrees, the view of the window being blocked by Aone’s strong body as you were closer to the speaker now. The singers words carried out through the entire kitchen and you closed your eyes to soak them in. 

_Will I recognize the light in her eyes_

_That no other eyes reveal_

_Or will I pass her by and never even know_

_That she was my ideal_

You tilted your head up to meet Aone’s eyes, his height forcing you to have to rest your chin on his chest to meet them. You said, “You were either lying or you're very humble.”

Aone raised what would've been a brow, and you continued, “‘Cause you’re a good dancer.”

He smiled down at you and you could see hints of pink on the apples of his cheeks. You couldn’t stop looking at them and it took you a moment to realize that neither of you were moving anymore, but instead standing very close looking at each other while the song winded down to a pleasant end. You wished in that moment that you were taller so there wasn’t so much space between you two. Aone must’ve thought the same thing because at that moment he started to lean down, his hand still pressed against the curve of your back as your face tilted up towards him. His gaze was fixed on your lips and you felt your eyes start to flutter shut when a loud whistle noise cut the moment short. 

Both of your heads turned to see the teapot blowing steam out of its spout. Your hands broke away and you paced over to lift it from the stove. The whistling stopped and the room fell deathly silent. You found yourself unable to look at Aone, and instead stared down at the pot as you asked, “Green or chamomile?”

_Aone_

Aone hadn't been back to your place since the storm but you both still kept up with your weekly routine of meeting each other at the train stop. The weather shifted to a complete snowscape so umbrellas weren’t required, but Aone would still offer you his coat for the walk home. You would always decline the offer, but sometimes you couldn’t hide the shiver in your hands and he would wordlessly wrap it around your shoulders, and you’d stick your tongue out at him. He had grown fond of all your different expressions. The way you’d scowl when someone was speaking too loudly on the phone or when you’d turn your head to look out onto the window at the part of the train route that passed over the library, which he knew was your favorite spot in town. But his favorite expression of all was on days when he was running late to catch the train and he’d see you in the distance looking onto the crowd to find him. He didn’t like keeping you waiting, but when you’d finally see him, your eyes would light up in a way that made him feel soft on the inside. It was a look that made all the little stresses of the day melt away and only focus on what was in front of him. 

That was just a few of the small things he missed the day you didn’t show up at the train stop. He waited until last call, and even then he kept his eyes peeled at the window to see the familiar flow of your hair in the harsh winter wind. But there was no sight of you that day or the next or the one after that. He would’ve texted you but he never exchanged numbers with you. The topic was never really brought up, but he thought maybe you didn’t want him to have your number? He tried to stay calm and told himself that you were ok but on Friday, with no work to distract himself the following day, he made the decision to get off at your stop. 

Due to a few wrong turns, it took him double the amount of time to find your place as it did the last time. But once he did, he found himself standing at your front door wondering if he made a mistake. Eventually, he quitted his anxious thoughts and knocked on your door. There was no answer for a long period of time and he was about to fish out a pen in his pocket to leave you a note when the door cracked open. 

_You_

There were many things you didn’t like about your apartment, but one of them was how the front door didn’t have a peep hole. You especially despise this now that Aone was standing in front of you and you were in nothing but an oversized t-shirt and sweat shorts, your hair in a knotted bun leaning lopsided on your head. When you made eye contact with the pale giant, you nearly yelped as you slammed the door shut. Catching your breath, you opened the door just a crack and said, “What are you doing here, Aone?”

“You haven’t shown up at the train station all week,” he said in his usual tone, but you could tell from his face that there was worry underneath his cautious expression.

You were about to scold him for not calling ahead, but it dawned on you that you’ve never exchanged numbers with him. The cold breeze was hitting the bare skin of your legs, and you looked up to see the tip of Aone’s nose turn pink. Tugging on your shirt, you said, “It’s freezing, come in.”

Aone stepped inside, taking his wet shoes off before following you to the kitchen. You could feel his presence from the other side of the room as you grabbed the teapot off the shelf and placed it in the sink. The only sound that filled the room was the water running into the pot. Your shoulders were hunched over and when you grabbed the pot with both hands, you nearly lost balance as you were turning to the stove. The pot clattered onto the counter as you gripped onto it, and Aone was on your side within seconds, his arms outstretched to catch you at any given moment. 

“I’m okay, I’m just feeling dizzy,” you said as you stood yourself up straight. Aone still didn’t step away, and eventually you turned to him to meet his eyes. 

“Are you sick?”, he asked, no longer masking the worry on his face. 

“No, I just haven’t eaten in a while,” you said while looking down. He seemed to be contemplating his next question, but instead gently grabbed your arms to lead you to the nearest dining chair. You sat down as he made his way to your fridge. There was some food, but most of it was base ingredients that required cooking. His eyes landed on a lone pear and he picked it off the shelf and brought it over to the sink to rinse it off. When he turned to you, you had a slightly irritated look on your face but plucked the fruit from his hand anyway. He stood awkwardly in front of you as unspoken words seemed to pass through his mind. Finally, the only thing he could muster up was, “Have you been busy?”

You snorted before swallowing, covering your mouth as you said, “Hardly.”

“Is everything okay?”, his palms clenched on either side of him. 

“Look, Aone, I appreciate you checking up on me but there’s some things I don’t want to talk about,” you were gearing up for another defense, but your posture softened when you saw how nervous he looked and you were immediately filled with regret. “I just haven’t had much energy for… anything lately.”

“Is there anything I can help you with?”, he asked, it almost sounded like a plea. 

“It’s nothing you need to worry about,” you said, setting the pear core down. “I just need to bathe and wash my hair and get my shit together.”

“I can help you with that.”

You looked up at him to see that his expression was just as surprised as yours. Aone’s face and neck went red and you could tell he was forming an apology but you interrupted him with an, “Okay.”

His face was positively flush and he was running his hands down the sides of his pants. You thought you’d never seen anything cuter. You stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the kitchen and toward your bedroom. He had never been to this part of your house and when you opened the door, you motioned for him to sit on the bed. It was almost comical how big he looked sitting on the edge of your bed. He kept his fists pressed against his thighs and his eyes forward, but he couldn’t seem to look at you directly. 

“My bathroom is in there,” you pointed to the door of your attached bathroom. “I’ll do the bathing part but I’ll call for you when I need help with my hair. Have you actually handled hair before?”

“I have little cousins,” he said, still not meeting your eyes. 

You nodded in spite of him not seeing it and turned to the bathroom. Once you closed the door, you stripped off the clothes you had on for days and threw them in the corner of the room. You took a quick shower before running the bath, making sure there were enough bubbles to cover your body fully. When you stepped in the tub, the suds were up to your shoulders and you leaned forward, resting your hands on the side of the tub. 

“Aone?”, you called out. 

There was a few seconds of silence until you heard the doorknob turn and Aone stepped inside, his face turned to the side. 

“You can look at me,” you said in what you hoped was a comforting tone. He turned his head and you could see that the apples of his cheeks were still red, and when he finally met your gaze his eyes widened for a second. Resting your chin on your arms, you said, “You can sit here, unless it’s uncomfortable.”

He kept his eyes on you as he took a few steps forward and kneeled down till he was face to face with you. He nodded his head in a way to indicate that this position was fine, and you leaned forward so he had access to your scalp. You had already wetted your hair when you took a shower and little droplets of water were running down your bare back. When you looked over your shoulder, Aone was wide eyed staring at your back with pursed lips. He almost looked stressed. Trying to act nonchalant, you said, “Is this okay?”

He nodded his head more feverishly and you had to suppress a laugh. You handed him your shampoo bottle and he got to work lathering it’s in his hands before placing it on your head. He was awkward at first, but soon he started building a lather and you were enjoying the way his large fingers ran across your scalp. The feeling was so relaxing that at one point, you leaned your head back into his touch and he stopped, his expression asking if something was wrong but you told him you were okay. It was silent in the tiny bathroom and the only noise was the sound of Aone scooping up handfuls of water to run down your head. He washed your head thoroughly and afterwards you told him you would handle the rest while he waited outside. Your hair still had some knots from days of neglect and you didn’t want to make him suffer with trying to detangle it. After asking you again if you’d be okay doing it on your own, Aone turned away quickly to head to the door, but it still wasn’t fast enough for you to not see the bulge in his pants. You were glad he was turned away in that moment because you could feel your face burning. He closed the door behind him and you went to work on your tangles. 

When you were done, you dried off and threw on a fresh new t-shirt and pajama shorts. It felt nice to be clean again and a part of your brain was guilt tripping your for making such a mundane task seem so hard to accomplish. But this was a pattern of thought you were all too familiar with. Stepping out of the bathroom, you were met with the sight of Aone sitting on the edge of your bed with a towel in hand. He stood up slowly and held out the towel to you.

“I heated it up in your dryer. I hope that’s okay with you,” he said while looking off to the side.

“That’s perfect, thank you,” you said while wrapping the towel around your shoulders. Besides your hair, you were dried off but the winter chill still seeped through every part of your apartment. Aone seemed to be unaffected by it, but he stood in front of you looking like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. For someone as timid as him, he must constantly feel like he’s taking up too much space wherever he is. Maybe a part of you wanted to comfort him to make him feel less awkward, or maybe it was because you still felt cold in spite of the towel hanging off your shoulders, but something in you made you step forward and instinctively rest your cheek on Aone’s chest. You felt him take in a sudden breath, and his warmth was seeping through the thin material of his shirt. You didn’t realize there was music playing in your room till you felt Aone’s arms wrap gently around your waist, guiding you through a lazy sway in the small space of your bedroom.

_Lately I seem to walk as though I have wings_

_Bump into things like someone in love_

_Each time I look at you I'm limp as a glove_

_And feeling like someone in love_

Your hands were rested on his chest and your eyes were closed as you let the music surround you. Aone’s head was tilted down to rest the side of his face against your temple. His breath was shallow, but you didn’t expect it when you heard him sing in a low voice, “Feeling like someone in love….In love...”

You pushed against his chest and he let him arms fall to the side as he looked at you with a panicked expression. You couldn’t hide your own as you looked up at him, fists balled at the side of you.

“Why would you say that?” you demanded. It took you a moment to get the courage to look him in the eyes, and when you did he was looking straight at you. His expression was its usual stern self, but there was a depth of intensity to it that you had never seen before.

“I may not say a lot,” he said. “But I say what I feel.”

His words knocked you back and you felt a knot in your chest. This was such a foreign feeling to you, and you felt your defenses build up as you said, “You love a depressed slob?”

“Don’t call yourself that,” he said while taking a step forward. You took a step back as you blinked away tears, and you could feel the towel he gifted you under your feet now. He went on, “I wish you didn’t have to go through this, but if it’s a part of you, then I love it.”

Your eyes darted back and forth as you took in what he said. In the time that you’ve gotten to know Aone, you knew he wasn’t the type to lie or speak unnecessary thoughts. His outer appearance was intimidating, but he was the most honest person you’ve ever met. You were blind to the fact of how you two have spent almost every day together, him becoming a dependable source of comfort at the end of a long work day. But you were hoping that you’d have a bit more time to figure yourself out before you let someone as great as him into your life, your problems, and your baggage. He deserved better. 

“This was easier when we were just seat buddies.”

Your eyes were turned down as your words left the room as soon as they filled them. Your head was pounding through your ears and you didn’t even notice him standing in front of you till you saw large milky white hands in your peripheral. He was waiting for you to look up at him. 

“I’ve felt the same way then that I do now.” 

Without another word, he walked out of your room and you could hear his footsteps go out the living room and down the hall till you heard the front door creak open with the sound of familiar winter wind. When the door closed, you fell on your knees and was grateful the towel cushioned your fall as you felt the weight of his words crash over you.

_Aone_

The holiday season was near and the streets were littered with people doing last minute shopping. All week long as he sat alone on the bus, and today he could see the town square from down below slowly turn into a landscape of lights and trees. One day, when he stopped at the supermarket to pick up some things on his way home, he noticed a sign that advertised a holiday hayride with a light show. He hadn’t been to something like that in years and although he had no one to go with, he needed a distraction. So when the weekend approached, he found himself reaching for his scarf on the way out his apartment as he walked to the attraction. There were families and couples of all ages eagerly waiting in line for their turn to board. When he was the next one in line to get on, he could see the people waiting in the express line. Standing parallel to him was you, looking just as shocked to see him as he was. 

“Aone,uh, hi,” you said, your cheeks turning a brighter shade of pink. He wanted to wrap his scarf around your neck to see if your cheeks would turn warmer. 

He barely had time to give you a slight bow when the person working at the front of the line turned to you and said, “Miss, you’re up next. Did you have anyone boarding with you?”

“Yeah, he is,” you pointed at him, to his dismay. Aone looked out to see that instead of one of the hay carriages that carried twenty or more people on it, was instead a horse drawn carriage. The pair of Clydesdales stood at attention as they had a simple white vintage carriage strapped behind them. Aone looked back at you in a look that said ‘Are you sure?’, but you flashed him a shy smile before boarding. He followed behind you. 

Once inside, the worker shut the door but you two were still exposed to the outside air. Your side was pressed against his for warmth, a feeling he didn’t know till now how much he missed. The carriage jolted forward and filled the silence between you two. Eventually you turned and said, “A friend bought this ticket months ago but she mixed up her plans and had to travel sooner than expected so she gave her ticket to me. Lucky me, huh?”

“I’m lucky too,” he said, smiling softly down at you before turning his face towards the street. He hoped that what he said didn’t come off the wrong way. The horses had to be a certain number of yards away from the hayride in front of them so there wasn’t that much to see yet, and the sound of the horse hooves was the only thing that passed between you two. 

“I’m sorry about what happened,” you said in a small voice. Aone turned towards you to start apologizing but you raised a hand to stop him. “What happened was just a culmination of bad timing. I wasn’t ready to hear what you said. But I gave myself time to think things over. I still don’t… feel like I deserve someone as great as you. But I’m not ready to lose you either.” 

Aone looked down at you in what he hoped was a sincere look. There were so many thoughts running through his brain that he couldn’t pick what was worth speaking. Deserve him? He’d go through twice as much isolation if it meant he got half the time he’s spent with you so far. But you were in front of him, confessing the words he thought you’d never speak. And there just wasn’t a word or a phrase that could describe to you how much he felt for you in that moment. 

You took a shaky breath, clearly shaking off the nerves of what you just said as you dug into your purse to pull out your phone and earbuds. 

“Let’s listen to some music while we watch the lights, yeah?”

Aone graciously took the earbud and looked out ahead as half a block of light up archways approached the carriage. He was very familiar with the song that was playing. 

_I've never been in love before_

_Now all at once it's you_

_It's you for evermore_

As the song went on, the carriage passed under what must’ve been thousands of lights. The snow on the ground flashed shades of red, green, and many more in between as the light fixtures got bigger and more extravagant. Some of them were almost like tv screens, displaying images and messages of festivities. There were light in the shapes of reindeer, icicles, and worker elves. Snowflakes fell softly into their open carriage, and Aone was surprised when he felt a warmth over his hand. When he looked down, he could see your much smaller hand over his, and you gave him a bashful smile as your cheeks flushed. He faced his palm up and interlocked his fingers with yours, and you squeezed lightly into it. 

“Can I-.”

“Please,” you said with urgency before grabbing his cheek with your other hand, drawing his face forward. Your warm breath was a welcoming sensation as the two of you paused for a moment, too nervous to make the final move. But Aone let all other thoughts fall to the waist side. He only wanted to be surrounded by the presence of you, and the reward was so much sweeter when his lips finally met yours. 

❆ * ❅ ❆· ❅•❆ ❅ .•*   
• ❆.❅ * •❆.*• •· ❅.  
· ❅ · · ❅ ❆❆ . ❆   
❅ .❅ ❅ ❅ .❅❅ ❆ ❅**  
❅ ❆❅ ❅ .*• ❅ ❆*   
❅ * ❆• • ❅* * ❅ ❆  
· * · • • .   
. · • ❅ ** * . . *   
* * • * · .   
❆ * • * *. · • 

In the distance, a late night train passed over the city. Most of the passengers didn’t bother to look up from their phones or newspapers as they gripped onto standing poles. Through the sea of suitcase and luggages were a pair of seats left empty. There was no reason for the passengers to not sit in them, but sometimes it’s the forgotten things that are meant to be found by something worth the wait. 

  
  
  


_Months later_

You  
  


You dropped the fork you were washing into the pool of bubbly sink water when you heard the front door open. Before you could retrieve it, Aone was already at the doorway of the kitchen, looking over at you as you gave him a distressed look. 

“I’m so sorry,” you said while turning back to the sink. “I overslept and I was going to start dinner but I needed dishes and now I lost the fork. I think the sink is acting up again, I promise I didn’t wash my face mask off in here this time, but I think it might-.”

Your words were cut off when you felt Aone pressed up behind you, his arms wrapping around you in a tight embrace. Overtime, he’s gotten more comfortable with how he handles you, but you still have to scold him from time to time for being too gentle. His chin rested on the top of your head for a moment before he craned his neck so he could give you a peck on the temple. That somehow alleviated some of the nerves that were racking up your body just a moment ago. 

“It’s okay. We’ll get takeout,” he said low in your ear. He pulled his head back and let his fingers run down a strand of your hair. “The doctor upped your dosage, right?”

“Yeah. They said drowsiness would be a side effect but I didn’t think it would be this bad,” you tilted your head up to see that he had earbuds in. Drying your hands off on a kitchen cloth, you reached up to pluck one from his ear, placing it in your own. When you double tapped on it, a familiar tune rang through your ears. Giving him an accusatory glare, you said, “Hey! We agreed that we would only listen to this when it starts snowing.”

You surrendered into his embrace as he held you closer to him, his lips brushing against the top of your ear as he said, “I know, but I missed you on the way home and this song reminds me of you.”

You had no defense for that, and silently cursed him for always having the right things to say. You leaned your head back in his chest and closed your eyes as you felt him lift you so your feet were on top of his. He guided your body away from the sink and throughout the tiny kitchen as the smooth jazz played into the late afternoon. 

_Wherever you are, you're near me_

_You dare me to be untrue_

_Funny, each time I fall in love_

_It's always you_

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh can I just say I love Aone. He’s seriously one of the most underrated hq boys. 
> 
> He holds a special place in my heart because he reminds me a lot of my boyfriend. This story is dedicated to him because even though people look at him and think he’s a big meany, he’s actually the softest, most understanding man I ever met and I don’t know where I’d be if I never met him. If you don’t have one already, I hope you all find someone special in your life that treats you well and is there for you when times are rough. 
> 
> Please take care of yourself and happy holidays :)


End file.
